What’s the Difference Between Brown and White Eggs?

Scrambled, fried, baked, poached. We’re card-carrying members of the egg fan club. But that doesn’t mean we know everything there is to know about them. Namely, why some are white while others are brown. Here’s the deal.

Why are they different colors? Tro V. Bui, a visiting fellow in animal science at Cornell University told The New York Times that shell color comes down to genes. "White-feathered chickens with white earlobes lay white eggs; red or brown ones with red earlobes lay brown eggs," Bui said. (We talked to some chicken owners, though, who maintain it's not as simple as feather color, so if you plan to raise chickens, monitor your situation closely.)

OK, so is one healthier than the other? Nope. Bui notes that while brown eggs might have more omega-3 fatty acids, the difference is so small, it’s basically negligible.

Most importantly: Which one tastes better? Neither. Or rather, both. Brown and white eggs taste exactly the same, which, in our opinion, is the only metric that really matters.

Safe to say this mystery cracked under the weight of our investigative prowess. (Sorry.)